For optical apparatuses, including video cameras and electronic still cameras, higher image quality and smaller sizes are always demanded. Therefore both high image quality and smaller sizes are also demanded for zoom lenses used for image capturing lenses. As one of the zoom lenses that meets such demands, a zoom lens comprised of three lens groups, that is, in order from an object, a negative lens group, a positive lens group, and a positive lens group, has been disclosed (e.g. see Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2009-282466(A)).
Recently ultra-high image quality is expected for cameras, and in order to implement this, higher optical performance than prior art is demanded for zoom lenses.